White visiting the Heights World War Il Memorial, I often encounter other visitors who are looking for the name of a member of their family or of a friend of the lamily.
ln my atternpt to assist them, I first ask if that person died while serving in the armed forces in WW Il. If so, I direct them to the 224 names inscribed on the five-sided center pylon where names are listed by branch of service, ie. Army, Air force, Marines or Novy.
But if the name they are seeking is of a surviver, lt is inscribed on the curved memorial wall. If this is the case, the search becomes much more difficult. There are 2.549 names on the wall and they were listed in a random order so that names added to the wall after the initial dedication on November 7, 1999, would not become obvious.
So, my next question to the visitor is: "ln what branch of the service was the person serving?" Then I would direct them to the appropriate panels for that service branch. Even then, the search for a name is still time consuming, as the panels must be read, line by line. On occasions. the visitor will give up and walk away without finding the name they are seeking.
The association trustees decided to create the index giving the location by panel number and the line (or lines) where a name may be found. lt is our sincere desire that this list will make locating a name a simple task, after which visitors may then cake a leisurely walk about the Plaza and the Freedom Walk.
This index is alphabetized in last name, first name sequence. Names are followed by the service branch in which they served and then the panel and line(s) location. This publication also contains a brief history of the work of the association in bringing the Houston Heights World War Il Memorial Plaza and Freedom Walk to fruition.